On the Election Commission of Pakistan’s website it is difficult to tell how constituency boundaries were changed in 2002 because the PS maps are listed in isolation and no historical images are available. We attempted to piece them together like a jigsaw to give you an idea of where the lines are drawn. PS-112 and PS-129 are just two examples of how they were changed.
The story of PS-112
When the boundaries were redrawn in 2002, the Burns Road chunk, including Pakistan Chowk and Ratan Talao, was added to Clifton’s PS-112, claims the PPP. Another area, Sultanabad, a Pakhtun-dominated neighbourhood, was included in another constituency, PS 89, in Keamari Town. The new PS 112 constituency now crossed a major road, II Chundrigar Road, and a railway line. In 2008, MQM MPA Moqueem Alam won here with 27,371 votes by beating the PPP candidate Najmi Alam. PPP now proposes deleting Burns Road and restoring the constituency
to its pre-2002 form.
Sindh Assembly seat PS-112 in 2008
Winner: Moqueem Alam (MQM) - 27,371 votes
Next: Najmi Alam (PPP) - 26,902 votes
PPP lost by 469 votes
PPP and ANP
“We have suffered the most as areas where we dominated were either infiltrated by outside votes or union councils where we were strong were moved to other constituencies”
The story of PS-129
Changes were made to PS 129. “Earlier, this constituency was known as PS 96 and was connected to Ibrahim Hyderi, Rehri and Landhi but in 2002 it was bifurcated from Landhi, paving the way for Jamote to win the election,” says Khuda Dino Shah, the former nazim of Bin Qasim Town.
He said that the PPP has always won the seats from the rural areas of Malir, Gadap, Bin Qasim and Keamari, but for the first time the party lost the seat to the Jamote family, which has a strong vote bank in Ibrahim Hyderi, Rehri and its adjoining areas.
Total number of registered voters in Sindh
1985 = 7,173,000
1998 = 9,879,000
1990 = 10,184,000
1993 = 11,022,000
1997 = 12,067,000
2002 = 16,181,000
2008 = 19,506,473
Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2012.
COMMENTS (10)
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do what you think can benefit you, but mqm will win again. watch it.
This is just tip of th iceberg. If this is happening in the most educated city of the country, what is the situation in the rest of the country? also, i am not sure how much this is going to affect MQM? can anybody explain? they have been winning overwhelming majority from karachi before 2002 as well. So whats the difference right now? and why is it not being done in whole country and just in karachi?
There are hardly any different ethnic groups in Punjab, most are Punjabis!
@zeeshan: well different ethnic groups in punjab COEXIST ever heard of ethnic riots in any punjab city in recent past??
@zeeshan: how many dead bodies are picked on daily bases in Lahore? ? the truth shall set you free
We appeal chief justice of Pakistan to take up the same issue in Punjab and other provinces where boundaries of many districts have been changed unnaturally. Why Karachi only? here I fully endorsed MQM that the law and order situation is also worst in Lahore and Peshawar, why supreme court is not talking initiatives.
the same changes were made to SITE area, which can be taken good example how constituency was redrawn on ethnic basis in 2002. The Pakhtoon dominated votes have been shifted to Urdu speaking area in Orangi town.
Hats off to ET Journalist for producing eye opening facts through charts and data. This is called real investigative Journalism. Pls keep doing fair reporting without any fear. Hence, it is proved that delimitation in 2002 was flawed and it was done to appease only certain quarters aka pro-Mushraf groups. For free and fair elections in Karachi, along with voter verification, delimitation should be done asap.
Report could have been a detailed one, felt incomplete. but a good attempt to explain karachi situation.
good effort and daring stand by the paper! this is what I have preferred to shift to ET